The NASL began its 13th season with a look of increasing stability. For the first time, there were no franchise shifts. League attendance was at an all-time high, close to 15,000 per game, and its popularity was reflected in increasing participation in youth and amateur soccer. Colleges were adding soccer at a growing rate, and it was expected that eventually the increasing domestic talent base would soon make its influence felt within the league.

As usual, well known players came and went. Rodney Marsh retired, as did Werner Roth after eight seasons. The Cosmos signed two time World Cup star Oscar from Brazil, although his tempestuous career in the States lasted for but three games. Two Dutch veterans of World Cups 1974 and 1978 made the trip to the continent. Midfielder Wim Jansen was signed by the Washington Diplomats, and Rudi Kohl was signed by the Vancouver Whitecaps in a major coup. Kohl was still in the prime of his career and would eventually play in World Cup 1982 as well. Only 31, he already had 83 caps under his belt. Unfortunately, his career in the NASL would only span 14 games. A fellow Dutchmen, with 46 caps was Rob Rensenbrink, who was signed by the Portland Timbers to man the left wing. Meanwhile, Johan Cruyff moved from Los Angeles to Washington, and Scottish international Peter Lorimer was signed by the Toronto Blizzard.

In the past, the NASL was criticized for mainly importing over-the-hill stars, but this year they also signed a number of younger people who would later have significant careers. These included the 20 year old Julio Cesar Romero of Paraguay, a high scoring midfielder, who put in three brilliant years with the Cosmos, and played until 1995, becoming one of the best players in Paraguayan history, and starring on their 1986 World Cup team. His World Cup teammate, Roberto Cabanas also was signed by the Cosmos, and would remain with them until the league's demise. Mexican striker Hugo Sanchez made his NASL debut this season; after 1981, he went on to a successful career with Real Madrid, and finished his career with the fledgling Major League Soccer in 1996.

Interestingly enough, the new arrivals did not have as big an impact on the league as had earlier crops of recruits. This could partly be due to the large number of stars already established with the league. Some lesser known individuals were beginning to establish themselves. Giorgio Chinaglia returned to form this season, leading the league in scoring with 32 goals and 77 points. Some other top scorers, such as Roger Davies of Seattle and Laurie Abrahams of California did not have a world class international pedigree, and their accomplishments showed that in the NASL, at least, there are multiple roads to success.

The league made no rule changes this season; they retained the 35 yard offside line, sudden death overtime and the shootout tie breaker, bonus points and 6-0+3 scoring system, to the confusion of the rest of the world. Purists continued to grumble over the league's "innovations", but for now, the league appeared not to care.

As in the past two seasons, the Cosmos, with their all-star lineup, continued to dominate the regular season, easily winning the National East division with a 24-8 record. They scored 87 goals, nearly breaking their league record. In the Central Division, Minnesota's dominance was ended, as the venerable Dallas Tornado won the division. They had obviously mastered the art of strategic scoring; despite an 18-14 record in the relatively soft division, they allowed 58 goals for the 57 they scored. In the National West, the Seattle Sounders had their finest hour, leading the league at 25-7, beating the resurgent Los Angeles Aztecs for the title. Vancouver had slipped to .500, despite retaining a strong roster. One positive note for the Whitecaps was the continuing development of Carl Valentine, their young striker who would go on to be a mainstay in Vancouver through the 1990's, first staring for the Vancouver 86ers in the Canadian Soccer League from 1987-1992, and then moving with the team to the American Professional Soccer League, where he would remain as player-coach until 1998.

The comeback story of the year had to be the Chicago Sting, who surged to take the Central Division by 57 points, in their best performance since joining the league, led by the German tandem of Karl-Heinz Granitza (64 points) and Arno Steffenhagen (45 points), and supplemented by new teammate Peter Ressel of Holland. Tampa Bay and Ft. Lauderdale repeated at 1-2 in the East, while the New England tea Men rebounded on the field, if not at the gate. The American West was again a soft division, with the Edmonton Drillers gaining their first divisional title with a mundane 17-15 record.

The "second season" started in late August with only six teams excluded. Tampa Bay, Seattle, Dallas, and the Cosmos cruised over their weaker opponents, while Chicago was upset by the San Diego Sockers. Meanwhile, Los Angeles and Edmonton were forced to the mini-game to win their first round matchups. The Conference Semifinals were much closer; every series went to the mini-game after the teams split the two-leg series. The cosmos in fact would have been eliminated had their series been decided by goal differentials; their mini-game of 3-0 was more convincing as they finally downed Dallas for good. Hometown crowds went home feeling blue after Edmonton lost to Ft. Lauderdale 1-0 at home, and the situation was reversed in Florida with the Strikers losing 3-2, before turning the tables in their MG, 3-0. San Diego and Seattle had to go to the shootout to win their series against Tampa Bay and Los Angeles. A second wind allowed New York an easier time defeating the Aztecs, as they swept their series 2-1 and 3-1, while Ft. Lauderdale took the American in the mini-game after splitting the series with San Diego 1-2 and 4-2.

The Soccer Bowl was played at RFK Stadium in Washington on September 21, 1980, with the cosmos once again the prime attraction. they did not disappoint the locals, shutting out the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers 3-0 off of two goals by Chinaglia and one by Julio Romero.

The NASL continued its tradition of international friendlies. With today's economics, touring teams were relatively infrequent, and many of these games were one-shots. However, during the off-season, several tours were arranged to spread the word of the NASL globally. Overall, the NASL's record against foreign competition was 132 wins, 16 draws and 17 losses, not bad considering the high caliber of many of their opponents. The Cosmos as the NASL's ambassadors to the world, maintained the most extensive schedule. They traveled to South America in March, and after the regular season, both the Cosmos and the Rowdies toured Europe through October. During the season, Manchester City, A. S. Roma, and Nottingham Forest toured the US, and FC Cologne, Sunderland and Universidad of Mexico, among others, made visits to NASL cities. Possibly the biggest victories included New York's 2-0 shutout of Santos, Brazil on March 13, their 3-1 victory over FC Cologne in April, and 3-2 win over Manchester City at home on May 21. Manchester City may have left some of their first string at home, as they lost to Vancouver 5-0 later in the week. New York in turn did not field their full team during their fall tour, as they lost 5 of 12 games, but they impressed in their 3-4 loss at Lazio, their 2-0 shutout of Napoli, 1-0 victory over Hedjuk Split, and 3-3 draw against Real Betis. San Diego Sockers had the audacity to play the Mexican National Team, and were whomped 6-0 in the first match, but managed a draw in the rejoinder in early April. Finally, in what could be considered an unofficial all-star game, a select team of NASL players defeated the Cosmos 3-2 on September 24 at Giants Stadium.

At the end of the season, there were dark clouds looming on the horizon: the continued financial drain of the league's high-spending style was finally catching up with some of the weaker franchises. In order to compete with the cosmos, teams were forced to shell out major bucks to sign enough talent to remain competitive. Unfortunately, this financial investment was not always adequate to counteract inept management by soccer-ignorant owners. Productive players were often traded for no good reason, or after unnecessary strife, as happened with the Philadelphia Fury's team, which inexplicably traded or sold their three top scorers, and then wondered why the team couldn't win anymore and why the fans were deserting. Although the league attendance was at its highest, some stronger teams were losing fans; even the vaunted Cosmos attendance had fallen from 49,000 to 42,000, while Philadelphia and Atlanta were under 5,000. New England had never recovered from the loss of Mike Flanagan; even a move back to Schaefer stadium didn't help. The Memphis Rogues were reeling after three straight seasons in the cellar, and the Atlanta Chiefs, with only Jeff Bourne and Keith Furphy providing any scoring to speak of, simply collapsed.

At the root of the problem was the rapid expansion of the league in 1978. People had rushed to join the bandwagon without having the requisite soccer and/or business experience necessary to run a fiscally sound club. Finally, the red ink simply became too much, and in November 1980, the first cuts were made. More alarmingly, the glow of national attention was beginning to fade as the novelty wore of. The Soccer Bowl was played at RFD Stadium in Washington this season, and barely 50,000 fans attended. Another ominous development was ABC's displeasure at the low ratings for their telecasts. As a result, decided to reduce their final year's broadcast schedule and only show the Soccer Bowl. Given this change, it appeared unlikely that the network would renew their contract after 1981. Finally, the knife fell. During the weekend that the nation found out who shot J.R. Ewing, the Washington Diplomats, Houston Hurricane and Rochester lancers folded. The Lancers' demise was a bitter pill to swallow; that franchise had been in the league since 1971, and in the ASL since 1967. Before the 1980-81 indoor season, the New England Tea Men moved to Jacksonville and the Memphis Rogues moved to Calgary, bringing the Canadian contingent to five teams. Outside of the team moves opening up new markets, the year ended on a foreboding note: severe financial problems could no longer be hidden, and the glory years of the league were nearing their end.

The Indoor Season, 1979-80

Having regretted its decision to sit back and watch the MISL during its first season, the North American Soccer League announced that a full indoor league would be played by its clubs in the winter of 1979-80. NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam offered "we pioneered indoor soccer in this country--itís a natural compliment to the outdoor version" as a justification for the foray. However, only 10 of the NASLís 24 clubs participated, in what was basically a dress rehersal for the 1980-81 season, with marquee franchises New York, Washington and Vancouver taking a pass. Also, as opposed to the MISL, the older league only required that five of each teamís 14-man roster be North American. The initial NASL indoor season saw the 10 clubs divided into two divisions and playing a 12 game schedule under--ironically--MISL rules. Unlike Futsal, the teams played with hockey boards in place and recessed goals. Balls hitting the boards remained in play unless knocked into the stands. This game had a fast "pinball" type of action, which suited many US fans, accustomed to fast action, even as it game purists the fits, and provided more fodder for international detractors, who faulted the Americans for not even accepting indoor soccer as it was played in the rest of the world. As with the MISL, figures at the gate were encouraging: Memphis Rogues, who averaged a paltry 7,137 fans per game outdoors in 1979, routinely packed its arena with crowds of 8,300 or more for its indoor matches. Similarly, Atlanta also drew more indoors than out. Minnesota drew crowds of over 10,000 for its matches, while Tampa Bay continued to sell out its tiny arena. Other clubs did not draw as well, though: the California teams fared dismally, Ft. Lauderdale could only manage about 2,300 per game, and Detroit Express were regularly outdrawn by its cross-town rival, the MISLís Lightning. All told, the league averaged 4,869 per game throughout its 60 matches.

Not all outdoor players took part, particularly the major stars, so there were some surprising twists in the divisional races. The season saw Atlanta Chiefs-on the strength of leading scorer David Byrneís play and the acrobatic goalkeeping of 20-year old Victor Nogueira-take the Eastern Division title over Tampa Bay and Detroit, while Memphis edged Minnesota and Tulsa for the Western Division title. The preliminary round of the playoffs saw Tampa Bay crush Detroit, and Minnesota edge Tulsa. Tampa Bay then swept Atlanta to advance to the finals, where it faced Memphis for the title. Memphis edged the Rowdies in the first game, but Tampa Bay rallied to take the second game and force a "mini-game" playoff. This 15 minute "game", immediately following the second match, found Peter Anderson drive a Wes McLeod rebound past Roguesí keeper John Houska to give the Rowdies a 1-0 win and the title, in spite of being outshot in the mini-game, 28-9. Memphis and Atlanta had surprised pundicts by winning their respective divisions, an unexpected result given their poor outdoor performances. This gave their owners hope for a reversal of fortunes, which alas was not to be. Both teams moved after the next season.

Even with these two circuits in session, another peep was heard in the soccer wilderness when the American Soccer League announced that it, too, would enter the indoor wars. While originally planning on playing a full schedule in the winter of 1979-80, the league later postponed these plans to the next year. Ultimately, like so many of the ASLís grand schemes outdoors, this plan never came to fruition, and the MISL and NASL would remain the only indoor combatants in what was shaping up as a rather nasty battle.

The first season was modestly successful, after a high-flying start. Crowds averaged 4,200 per game, but there was considerable enthusiasm for the concept. This was seen mainly as a rehearsal for 1980-81, when the entire league was expected to participate.

Although the ASL, now entering its 47th season, had shown that it had potential to survive in the 1970's soccer market, whether that would be sufficient to keep it going in the 1980's was still a major question. two of the more financially solvent owners bailed out this season, frustrated by the perceived inadequacies of league administrators. Robert Nordskog pulled the plug on his Los Angeles Skyhawks, and Joseph Raymond, the league president in 1979, sold controlling interest in the New Jersey Americans to a London-based group which moved the team to Miami. The New York Eagles, sat out the season, and Indianapolis and Las Vegas folded after declaring bankruptcy. Las Vegas was originally to have moved to San Antonio, but the deal fell through. Bob Cousy finally gave up on the ASL, resigning after six years as league commissioner.

What was left of the league was increasingly a league of haves and have-nots. New franchises were added: The Phoenix Fire and the Golden Gate Gales, who were partially stocked with players from the recently folded teams. A third franchise in Pittsburgh folded shortly after it was awarded. The Fire was owned by Leonard Lesser, who had previously attempted to move the Memphis Rogues of the NASL to this city. He hired Seattle Sounders coach Jim Gabriel, as coach/assistant GM, and an impressive roster of players including Jimmy Rolland (1978 MVP) and Harry Redknapp. The fire looked to be one of the stronger clubs, along with New York (now renamed the United), Columbus, Miami and Pennsylvania, but inexplicably, the team folded just prior to the start of the season.

The split between stronger and weaker teams was ominous, and it appeared that the stronger teams were envisioning a merger with the NASL in a few years. An early step was the United's move from Hempstead to Shea Stadium in New York City. Six new coaches were hired to revamp teams, including Ron Newman at Miami and Rodney Marsh with new York. The League had inaugurated an all-star game in 1979, and renewed it for this season, despite it's shaky debut. Finally, expansion franchises were awarded to Charlotte NC and Atlanta for 1981.

On the field, the Pennsylvania Stoners continued to dominate the East. They boasted one of the best American players, in 20 year old goalkeeper Scott Manning, Roman Urbanczuk, and Art Napolitano. The Miami Americans replaced most of their roster after moving from New Jersey. Coach Ron Newman, already a legend in the NASL, was signed to an unprecedented five year contract at $200,000 per season. The New York United also made major changes in their roster during the off season. The United enjoyed a major comeback from 1979, completely rebuilding their defense and surging to 2nd place in the East. A major disappointment was the Columbus Magic, who had kept their team largely intact from 1979, and were expected to dominate. The Golden gate Gales landed stars Mal Roche and Gerald Hylkema in the dispersal draft, and nearly hired future MLS coach Laurie Calloway before legal problems intervened. This appeared to take some steam out as they struggled to last place in the West. The entire West division was weak, finishing below .500 in a rare event.

The Playoffs were limited to the two teams from each division (half the league), with Pennsylvania and Sacramento the winners in two leg series, both of which featured 1-1 ties paired with decisive victories. Pennsylvania captured their first championship by defeating Sacramento 2-1.

The MISL opened its second season playing a 32 game schedule with 10 teams in two divisions; although Cincinnati had folded, the league added Buffalo, Hartford, Wichita, Detroit and St. Louis to its lineup. While there were no rule changes, the MISL now required 12 of each sideís 16-man roster to be "American," although that designation still included Canadians and resident aliens. Over 18,000 fans attended the St. Louis clubís opener, and attendance was up all around the league, which finished with an average of 6,102 per game. Ironically, the league began to draw more attention for its theatrics--introductions of players through clouds of dry ice, eight-foot tall mascots, and music accompanying the action on the field, to name a few--than for the quality of the play on the field, which was vastly improved. While the MISL took much heat over the off-field theatrics, these tactics would later be adopted by teams in "major" sports like hockey and basketball, and with great success. The other notable off-field activity involved the MISLís contract with a cable television network, airing selected games to over 5 million viewers in 47 states.

On the field, defending champion New York Arrows picked up where it left off, going unbeaten at home en route to a 27-5 record and easy capture of the Atlantic Division title. Pittsburgh Spirit, after starting 5-10, sacked its coach and tabbed Len Bilous as his replacement. Bilous, who had coached Cincinnati the year before, promptly led his team on a record 13-game winning streak before dropping the last four games to finish behind New York. In the Central Division, Houston--led by Kai Haaskivi, Ian Anderson, and the goalkeeping tandem of Sepp Gantenhammer and Mick Poole--compiled a 20-12 mark to finish four games ahead of runner-up Wichita Wings. St. Louis, using a squad of local pros like Steve Pecher, Dan Counce and ex-Atom Tom Galati, captured the imagination of the cityís fans, drawing over 13,000 a game despite finishing a lackluster 12-20. While St. Louis was providing a model for other clubs to follow, Philadelphia essentially abandoned the formula that had made it so successful at the gate one year earlier; an agreement with the NASLís Philadelphia Fury, while providing the Fever with ex-Atoms Bob Rigby and Bobby Smith, also loaded the club with Yugoslavians at the expense of local players. As a result, the bloom wore off the 8,000 plus crowds at the Spectrum, never to return.

The playoffs found the second and third place finishers in each division face each other in the semifinals, with Wichita and Pittsburgh edging their opponents to meet Houston and New York, respectively, in the division finals. While Houston squeaked by the Wings to advance to the championship, New York easily swept Pittsburgh. In the championship, Arrowsí Steve Zungul scored three goals--at the time, he had netted hat tricks in each of the 6 playoff matches he had played over the two seasons--to enable New York to repeat as champions before 8,469 at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York. With the championship now determined in a one-game final, the pressure was on New York to play a mistake-free game against the tenacious Houston club. Houston struck first, on a goal by defender Ian Anderson, but a power-play goal by Zungul, and another goal off a beautiful run by Damir Sutevski gave the defending champs the lead. The Arrows increased their lead to 4-1 on goals by Zungul and Branko Segota, but Houston battled back: goals by John Stemlau, Gerry Morielli and Dale Russell brought the club to within one, the difference being Renaldo Cilaís goal 1:01 into the third quarter. However, Zungulís third goal, followed by a Julie Vee tally, put New York ahead for good. Zungul was awarded the playoff MVP award for his heroics, which complimented his season MVP award for his astounding 90 goals in 32 matches. In a scene that would be repeated several times over the history of the MISL, Zungul and linemate Branko Segota were named first team all-stars. Detroitís Pat Ercoli was the only American to crack the top scorersí list, although natives Alan Mayer (second team All-Star with Pittsburgh), Keith Van Eron (Wichita), Shep Messing (first team All-Star), and Bob Rigby (Philadelphia) were among the leagueís top netminders. Yankee defenders Dave DíErrico (New York) and Steve Pecher (St. Louis) earned second team All-Star berths.

Having regretted its decision to sit back and watch the MISL during its first season, the North American Soccer League announced that a full indoor league would be played by its clubs in the winter of 1979-80. NASL Commissioner Phil Woosnam offered "we pioneered indoor soccer in this country--itís a natural compliment to the outdoor version" as a justification for the foray. However, only 10 of the NASLís 24 clubs participated, with marquee franchises New York, Washington and Vancouver taking a pass. Also, as opposed to the MISL, the older league only required that five of each teamís 14-man roster be North American. The initial NASL indoor season saw the 10 clubs divided into two divisions and playing a 12 game schedule under--ironically--MISL rules. As with the MISL, figures at the gate were encouraging: Memphis Rogues, who averaged a paltry 7,137 fans per game outdoors in 1979, routinely packed its arena with crowds of 8,300 or more for its indoor matches. Similarly, Atlanta also drew more indoors than out. Minnesota drew crowds of over 10,000 for its matches, while Tampa Bay continued to sell out its tiny arena. Other clubs did not draw as well, though: the California teams fared dismally, Ft. Lauderdale could only manage about 2,300 per game, and Detroit Express were regularly outdrawn by its cross-town rival, the MISLís Lightning. All told, the league averaged 4,869 per game throughout its 60 matches.

The season saw Atlanta Chiefs-on the strength of leading scorer David Byrneís play and the acrobatic goalkeeping of 20-year old Victor Nogueira-take the Eastern Division title over Tampa Bay and Detroit, while Memphis edged Minnesota and Tulsa for the Western Division title. The preliminary round of the playoffs saw Tampa Bay crush Detroit, and Minnesota edge Tulsa. Tampa Bay then swept Atlanta to advance to the finals, where it faced Memphis for the title. Memphis edged the Rowdies in the first game, but Tampa Bay rallied to take the second game and force a "mini-game" playoff. This 15 minute "game", immediately following the second match, found Peter Anderson drive a Wes McLeod rebound past Roguesí keeper John Houska to give the Rowdies a 1-0 win and the title, in spite of being outshot in the mini-game, 28-9.

Even with these two circuits in session, another peep was heard in the soccer wilderness when the American Soccer League announced that it, too, would enter the indoor wars. While originally planning on playing a full schedule in the winter of 1979-80, the league later postponed these plans to the next year. Ultimately, like so many of the ASLís grand schemes outdoors, this plan never came to fruition, and the MISL and NASL would remain the only indoor combatants in what was shaping up as a rather nasty battle.

As if three leagues weren't enough, a group organized to form a fourth soccer circuit, to be entitled the United States Soccer League. The effort was headed by Harry Greenberg, a Phoenix investment counselor, associated with Leonard Lesser, the former general manager of the ASL's defunct Phoenix Fire. The philosophy behind the USSL was twofold: To return the sport to its pure roots, playing in exact accordance with FIFA rules, and to promote the development of American players by allowing only American citizens on its rosters, with an emphasis on using local players on the rosters.

The league headquarters would be at Valley forge, PA, and franchises were quickly launched in Phoenix, Tucson, Los Angeles and Albuquerque, with deposits for additional teams in New York, Baltimore, Hartford, Providence and Milwaukee. A 24-30 game, twice-a-week schedule was planned with the season starting in April 1981 and running through September. For the soccer purist, this was like a godsend. As Greenberg stated, "The American people deserve to see pure soccer, they've been fed a tailored line of product designed to satisfy appetites for high scores. In time the American fan will appreciate the purity of the 1-0 game." Unfortunately, nothing was ever heard about the USSL after the initial November 17, 1980 press announcement. Had the league launched, it would have been interesting to see which style would have won the hearts and minds of the American fans.

The 1980 Olympics

The Nats were in the driver's seat for the first task, having advanced to the final round of Olympic qualifications through pluck and luck, taking the space vacated by Mexico after their disqualification. The US first played lowly Bermuda in late 1979. This time, the team received consideration from the NASL. Ten league players dotted the roster, and the team had plenty of time for practice.

With 18 year old St. Louis stopper Bill McKeon on the roster, the Americans won 3-0 off goals by Pesa, Davis and DiBernardo. The return match was at Ft. Lauderdale, and the home crowd gave the Americans a second wind as they trounced Bermuda 5-0. Ricky Davis scored two, and Greg Villa, George Nanchoff, and Louis each hit the net. This sent the United States to the final round-robin, with Costa Rica and Suriname. Two of these three teams would qualify. The Americans had two full weeks of practice, an unheard luxury up to that point. However, they lost the services of Dave Brcic and Larry Hulcer after they signed professional contracts. In March 1980, they defeated Suriname 2-1 (goals by Ebert and Morrone) and Costa Rica 1-0 (goal by Morrone). In the return matches, The US tied Costa Rica 1-1 and lost to Surinam 3-2 when they were forced to travel with an incomplete team. The final US goal was scored by 17 year old Darryl Gee. With a record of 2-1-1, the US finished in 1st place, and qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 1972. But true to the long history of dashed hopes and frustrations that have plagued American Soccer, even qualifying wasn't enough. The US boycotted the Olympics due to political disputes with the Soviet Union, and the United States was out in the cold, not even able to watch the event on television.

This year presented the national team with two tasks: Olympic 1980 qualifying (see above), and qualifications for the 1982 World Cup.

After the frustration of the Olympic boycott, dashing the dreams of the newly qualified Americans, the Nationals were inactive until shortly before the beginning of World Cup qualifying. The US roster was primarily NASL players, including Boris Bandov, Ricky Davis, DiBernardo, Larry Hulcer, Liveric, Ringo Cantillo, Winston DuBose, Perry van Der Beck, Steve Moyers, Bobby Smith and others. Ty Keough was by then playing for the Major indoor Soccer League.

To prepare the team, Coach Walt Czychowych took the team on a five game tour of Europe. They lost 3-0 to Nuremberg of the Bundesliga, then beat Luxembourg 2-0. At this point, a salary dispute broke out over concerns about base pay and endorsements. The dispute was put on hold while the US defeated Portugal on October 7. The players wanted a $50/week raise to $400, and the Federation would only offer $35. The dispute was inordinately bitter for such a small amount of cash, but was more of a test of power. Ultimately, the players backed down at the airport, and went on to lose the English "B" team 1-0.

The US opened against Canada at Ft. Lauderdale, FL, a venue expected to draw a pro-us crowd, but the result was disappointing: a 1-1 draw. he US controlled the game, but wasted scoring opportunities. In an amazing performance, the New York Cosmos general manager, Krikor Ypremian entered the USA locker room after the game with plane tickets for three of the Cosmos players who were expected to leave immediately and join the Cosmos for their exhibition tour of Europe. The players chose to remain with the National Team. the follow-up, in Vancouver, showed a vastly improved Canadian team which dominated the first half for a 2-1 victory. The Americans were in low spirits, partly attributable to a split that had occurred among the players after their split vote on ending their salary dispute. But some players claimed the split was actually between the native-born and naturalized citizens. Others blamed the playing style. At any rate, Czychowych had had enough and offered to resign after the Mexico game.

This trip was a disaster from the start. the bus never picked players up at the airport, forcing them to take cabs. the stadium was locked and by the time they gained entrance, they could only practice for 20 minutes. When it became dark, the stadium personnel chose to keep the lights off. he next day, in front of 80,000 hometown fans, Mexico flattened the Americans 5-1, eliminating them from yet another World Cup. The US won the return match on November 23, back at Ft. Lauderdale 2-1, but this game was little more than an exhibition. The day after that game, the first US victory over Mexico in World Cup competition since 1934, the Cosmos President Ahmet Ertegun and captain Giorgio Chinaglia called for the resignation or firing of Czychowych. They complained that he hadn't included more Cosmos players on the team, and would not collaborate with Cosmos coach Hennes Weisweller and Rinus Michaels of the Aztecs. For now, Czychowych refused to obey this "request", and continued to coach for one more season. However, 1981 was an inactive year for the senior team, and he devoted his efforts to developing the youth team. The 1982 World Cup itself was won by Italy, who defeated Germany 3-1.

Much better news occurred on the youth front. The United States hosted the 1980 CONCACAF U-20 Cup, which served as the qualification round for the 1981 World Youth Cup, to be held in Australia. Even though only 2 of 18 teams would qualify, the US cut through its opposition like butter, defeating Barbados 5-0, Netherlands Antilles 3-0, El Salvador 2-0, Antigua 3-1, and Bermuda 2-1. In the semifinals, they qualified by defeating Honduras 9-8 on penalty kicks. They lost to Mexico at Giants Stadium 2-0, but by then the result was academic. Both USA and Mexico were already qualified. The American team included such future professionals as John Stollmayer, Mike Menendez, Darryl Gee, and Jay Ainslie.

In 1980, the NCAA Division III tournament was expanded from 16 to 24 teams.

In the NCAA Division 1 tournament, third round action saw Hartwick defeat Connecticut 1-0 in double overtime. Indiana defeated Penn State 3-1, Alabama A&M defeated William & Mary 1-0, and San Francisco defeated St. Louis 3-2. In the semifinals, Indiana defeated Hartwick 5-0 and San Francisco defeated Alabama A&M 2-1. The Championship was held in Tampa FL. In the third place game, Alabama A&M defeated Hartwick 2-0. the championship game was held on December 14, and San Francisco defeated Indiana 4-3 in overtime to take the national title.

CONCACAF Champions Cup: Brooklyn Dodgers and Sacramento Gold (ASL II) participated but did not advance. U.N.A.M. of Mexico won the final round robin to take the title.

CONCACAF U-20 Championship: The U.S. lost to Mexico 2-0 in the final (see National Team section above.)

National Soccer Hall of Fame: In 1980, John "Frenchy" Boulos, Bob Guelker, and G. K. "Joe" Guennel were inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Rocco Montano was inducted into the National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association hall of fame.